A husband volunteers to be the donor for his wife's organ transplant. In pre-transplantation testing, the woman's serum was mixed in vitro with lymphocytes from her husband. After a few hours, complement and Trypan blue were added to the culture well. The cells were observed under the microscope and determined to be viable. What is the interpretation of this assay?

Question

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The mixed lymphocyte culture assay is used to detect whether a recipient's immune system will recognize and react against potential donor cells. If the cells remain viable (i.e. not killed by complement and Trypan blue), it indicates that the recipient's immune system is not reacting against the donor cells, and the donor organ may be compatible. In this case, the viability of the cells suggests that the husband's cells are not being recognized or attacked by the wife's immune system, meaning he can donate his organ to her.

A Husband Volunteers to Be the Donor for His Wife's